Bristol Thomas' Car Suits Fans to a 'T'

Thomas' car suits fans to a 'T'
BRISTOL, Tenn. (July 8) -- Much of the excitement surrounding the
Inaugural Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway is attributable to the
first-ever head-to-head racing between Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny
Cars. But...

Thomas' car suits fans to a 'T'

BRISTOL, Tenn. (July 8) -- Much of the excitement surrounding the
Inaugural Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway is attributable to the
first-ever head-to-head racing between Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny
Cars. But there is also plenty of hardcore Pro Stock racing going on
with lots of prize money up for grabs.

During Thursday's first qualifying session, the largest cheer of the Pro
Stock session occurred when Pennzoil driver Mike Thomas rolled his
gleaming machine onto the track. Thomas, who lives in nearby Knoxville,
delighted the fans before he ever started the motor due to the huge
University of Tennessee orange "T" emblem on the roof of his car. The
logo's inscription, which reads 1998 National Champions, drew an
additional roar when it was read aloud by track announcer Bob Frey.

"I'm a longtime season ticket holder and avid supporter of the school
and its football program," Thomas said. "This is my salute to what they
accomplished last season. I knew the fans here would appreciate it. They
really are the best football fans in the country. I hope they support me
like they support the team."

After the initial response from the fans, Thomas received yet another
ovation after covering the quarter-mile strip in 7.183 seconds at 193.93
mph. The competitive lap earned him the No. 9 spot in the field with
three rounds of qualifying yet to be run.

"We should be, and will be a full tenth of a second quicker," Thomas
said. "We were just trying to get adjusted to the new track and running
at a little bit of altitude. We had the wrong gear ratio in there. That
was basically the Pro Stock equivalent of muscling a car down the track
because my incremental numbers up to half-track were terrible. The motor
just carried us through.

"That's really encouraging because once we make the necessary
adjustments we should be flying. I can't wait for tonight when the
temperatures drop."